Starting-crank for automobiles.



F. E. MAINS.

STARTING CRANK FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I8. 1916.

1,224,401.. Patented Muy1,1917.

FRANKLIN E. MAINS, OF ORGSI, CALIFORNIA.

STARTING-CRANK FOR AUTOMOBILES.

LZZ LMM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ma 1, 191?,

Application filed November 18, 1916. Serial No. 132,135.

To all who may concern:

Be it k {cam that I, FRANKLIN E. MAINS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orosi, in the county of Tulare and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Starting- Cranks for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to means for cranking automobiles or cranking the driving shafts of internal combustion engines and the general object of the invention is the provision of a cranking means so constructed as to avoid the danger of a reversal of the crank due to backfire, this reversal of the crank being very liable to break the operators arm or otherwise injure it.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a very simple construction having few parts and these readily assembled, the device being so constructed that it may be readily adjusted to suit the resistance to cranking of any particular engine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cranking device of this character in which the crank is held to the operating shaft by yielding means, the crank being held to the operating shaft in such manner that the crank and the operating shaft will turn until they will rotate together when a steady impulse is given to the operating crank by the operator but wherein the crank and shaft will become disconnected when any sudden impulse is delivered to the operating" shaft and the operating shank is shifted quickly with relation to the crank.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is an elevation partly in section of my improved safety crank;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view thereof; and

Fig. 3 is a face view'of the disk 12, the lower end of the yoke and the roller 19.

Referring to these figures 10 designates the cranking shaft which is formed at its end 11 to provide a clutch adapted to operatively engage with the crank shaft of the engine. The nature of this clutch is not essential to my invention and may have any ordinary or usual form. Mounted upon the shank section 10 to rotate therewith is a disk 12 which at one point 111 1ts clrcumference is formed with a longitudinal concave recess 13.

Loosely mounted upon the shaft section 10 is the crank arm which is designated generally 1.4 and is preferably formed in two sections which face toward each other.

These sections are designated 15 and the sections are formed upon their margins with inwardly extending flanges 15' which abut against each other so that when the two.

sections are disposed in engagement a hollow arm is formed. The shaft 10 passes through the sections 15 adjacent one end thereof and the sections are disposed on each side of the disk 12. The sections 15 are slotted at 15 and operating in these slots nally extending rod 20 which is rigidly at tached to the yoke and extends between the sections 15. through the crank 14 is a cross bar 21, the ends of which project out through slots formed in the end walls of the crank arm Extending transversely 14 and the rod 20 passes through an opening 7 in this cross bar and disposed around the rod 20 is a .coiled spring 22 which bears at one end against the cross bar 21 and at its other end bears against the yoke 17 and particularly against the widened portion 17 thereof. This spring, therefore, acts to force the rod 20 and the yoke 17 toward the disk 12 and force the wheel 19 into engagement with the recess 13 in the disk 12. The walls of the crank arm 14 are formed with laterally projecting cars 23 through which pass adjusting screws 24 which engage with the laterally projecting portions of the cross bar 21 and it will be obvious that by rotating these screws 24, the cross bar 21 may be engaged with the ears 23 and thus the yoke 17 adjusted. The sections 15 are connected to each other by screws 25 or any other suitable means and a crank handle 26 is formed with a shoulder 27 and is screw threaded toengage with the sections 15 and assist in holding the'two sections in abutting relation .to each other.

The inner ends of the sections 15 are'formed.

with abutting lugs28- through which a bolt 29 passes. The operation of the invention v, is obvious. The roller 19 may of course revolve freely around the disk 12 unless this roller 19 engages in the recess 13. Normally the roller 19 is held engaged 1n the recess 13 by the spring 22, the tension of which may be regulated by the screws 24:.

' The roller-may, however, be forced out of its seat in the recess 13 against the force of the spring 22. When the crank is attached to an automobile shaft, the spring 22 should be adjusted to such tension that by giving a quick steady pull on the crank the engine crank shaft may be turned against the compression in the cylinders. This tension of the spring 22, however, should not be so great but that a quick jerk on the crank or a quick jerk on the shaft 10 will causethe roller 19 to rise out of the compression in the disk'23 and the disk 12, and the roller 19 will then roll completely around the disk 12 Without turning the disk 12 or the shaft 10. It will thus be readily seen that when various modifications might be made with-- out departmg from the spirit of the invention.

i What I claim is:

1; A starting crank for internal combustion engines comprising a shaft, a disk mounted upon the shaft, the disk at one point in its periphery being formed with [a concavity, a crank arm loosely mounted gitudinal movement,

mounted 1n the yoke and having a curvature cavity in the disk [upon the shaft and housing the disk, a yoke slidingly mounted in the crank arm for lona roller rotatably coinciding with the curvature of the conwgiil; which concavity the roller is adapted t ngage, and a spring urging the yoke towarcLthe disk, the spring and yoke being housed within the crank .arm.

2. A starting crank for internal combusvtion engines comprising a shaft, a disk mounted upon the shaft, the disk at one point 1n its periphery being formed with H a concavity, a crank arm loosely mounted upon the shaft and housing the disk, a yoke slidingly mounted in the crank arm for longitudinal movement, a roller rotatably shaft on each side of the disk,-

mounted in theyoke and having a curvature coinciding with the curvature of the concavity in the disk with which concavity the roller is adapted to engage, aspring urging the yoke toward the disk, the spring and yoke being housed within the crank arm, and means whereby the tension of the spring may be adjusted.

3. A starting crank for internal combustion engines comprising ashaft, 2. disk mounted upon the shaft to rotate therewith and having a concavity in its periphery, a crank arm loosely mounted upon the shaft and comprising oppositely disposed sections disposed on opposite faces of the disk, said sections being longitudinally slotted, a yoke .slidably mountedv in the slots of said sections and extending across the interior of the crank arm, a pin carried by the yoke, a roller mounted upon the pin and fitting the concavity in said disk, a rod extending outward from the yoke, a cross bar slidingly mounted in said sections and through which the rod passes, a springsurrounding the rod and bearing at one end against the yoke and at the other end against said cross bar, and means mounted upon the crank arm for shifting the cross bar adjustably toward the yoke to thereby increase the tensionv of the spring.

4. A starting crank for internal combustion engines comprising a shank formed at one end with a clutch adapted to engage the clutch on an engine crank shaft, a disk mounted upon the first named shaft to rotate therewith, a crank arm formed in two opposed sections rotatably mounted upon the a yoke slidingly mounted in the sections of the crank arm, a roller supported by the yoke and adapted to seat in the concavity of the disk, a rod extending from the yoke toward the free end of the crank arm, a cross bar slidingly mounted in the yoke and through which the rod passes, a spring surrounding the rod bearing at one end against. the yoke and at the other end against the cross bar,

oppositely projecting ears on thecrank arm beyond the cross bar, adjusting screws passing through said ears and bearing against the'cross bar, and a crank handle engaging the end of the crank arm and acting to hold the sections of the crank arm in engagement with each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two'witnesses.

FRANKLIN E. MAINS. Witnesses WM. MAINS, ANNA A. MAINS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained; for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of latents,

' Washington, D. 03f 

